My Life
by fanofthemoon88
Summary: See prof. for full summary: Arisa isn't your average demon. Friends with Sesshoumaru since they were children, she becomes intangled into the quest for defeting Naraku. But...?


First, this chapter is long. I apologize in advance. It also holds some Japanese words, phrases and such and such. Thus, I have complied a list of the terms used and definitions. If I have messed up somewhere, or missed something, feel free to tell me. I will have a list like this see below at the begining of every chapter if there are new words. If I missed any in the story, feel free to tell me as well. Thank you, and enjoy!

**Japanese Terms Used**

Youki- A kind of demons 'aura'. Correct me if I'm wrong

Youkai- Demons in Japanese folklore.

Hakama- Traditional Japanese garment worn mainly by men, but are now worn by both men and woman.

Kankyou- Means 'Enviroment' in Japanese.

-sama- Used for people of higher rank and for when the speaker wished to present respect. Less formal than -dono.

-dono- Roughly translates into 'Lord' or 'Master'. More formal than -sama.

-chan- Used commonly for little kids, girls and pets or close friends.

**Ψ **¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥** Ψ**

A little girl ran through the forest as fast as she could, terrified that then men would catch her. The sound of their footsteps, though soft, still reached her keen ears.

"Akira, stop," said one of the men, and the girl stopped as well. "She'll come home when she's ready. This isn't the first time after all, and it certainly won't be the last." She could hear the smile in his voice getting wider as he talked.

'_Yeah right,' _thought the girl to herself. _'I'll never come back. I've had enough of it!' _Angrily, she replayed what had happened in her head.

Her little brother, Tauski, had just completed something she herself had done when she was two years younger than he was now and much more impressively too. However, her mother favoured Tauski and made sure that the girl knew.

When she first became aware that her mother didn't particularly didn't like her, the little girl was no taller than knee-height at the time. Ever since then, she had been striving for her mothers' acceptance. An acceptance that would never come. And she had had enough. She had enough of the way her mother talked to and about her, the way she looked at her and treated her. Enough of the way her brothers' smirk played over his face as he hid behind his mother as she scolded the girl for something she didn't do. Enough of the need to come up with reasons so as to not have to return home, of the way her mother changed her behaviour around someone else, even though the entire village knew the older woman despised her eldest daughter. She had had it. And now she was leaving.

A tear dropped from one bright blue eye to silently meet the ground. She was angry; angry at her mother and herself. What could she do better? Sadness clawed at her heart was well. Did it have to be this way?

The girl thought of all the ways she disappointed or angered her mother as she slowly trudged through the forest.

Maybe it was her looks. The way she looked and smelled so simply… _human. _She was a demon! She should look like one! Instead of the customary pointy ears, the girls' were small and rounded. Her fingernails could never be called claws; she had to grow them out in order for them to be the same length as a regular demons'. She had no markings, no bulging muscles, no sense of youki. All in all, she looked and smelled just like any ordinary human. The only thing that separated her from them was the colour of her hair. It was a deep blue, almost black. Humans didn't usually have blue hair.

Another thing that separated her from other youkai was her senses and speed, more advanced than any mere human and even out stripping most youkai. Then there was her clans' ability to control the elements. Her power, the power to control water, was much more advanced then that of the kids her age, or even older. They matched a practiced adult, one who had spent years under training to develop every corner of his skills.

Despite all this, she was still commonly mistaken for a human. In some ways, it could be seen as a blessing. She could wander around human villages without getting caught and could play with the kids. The human world was a lot nicer then her own. That is, until they found out she was actually a demon. In which case, she would leave and have to find another haven.

And in more ways then one, it was a curse. More often then not, she was frequently attacked by lesser youkai who were looking for an easy meal, and happened to spot a lonely 'human' child. Her. In such cases, there was never really anyone around at the time, mostly because she had gone to far away from her home. The only time someone would come was if she brought Tauski with her. In which case, her mother scolded her from putting her baby angel into danger. Thus, she had learned to defend herself. That, or risk returning home to her mother injured, who would then berate her for scarring Tauski looking like she did, covered in mud and hosting a few cuts and bruises. Only afterward would she treat her daughters' wounds in order to calm her son.

No… maybe she was just a nuisance. The way she was never at home, and did something wrong or startled Tauski. Whatever it was, she had no desire to return to that kind of a life.

She wandered around for a while as the sun shone through the canopy of the trees. The filtered green light sparkled through the thick leaves of the giant trees and mingled with the humid air. She was tired and had no more energy to walk any further. She slumped against the nearest tree and wished for sleep.

It came, but was anything but restful. Voices mocked her and laughter became a permanent ring in her ears. Only when a large golden eye took the spotlight did the girl awake with a start. Once her eyes were open, she wasn't even sure if she was awake yet. For the same golden eye that had awoken her was staring at her.

The source of the stare was a boy, slightly taller than her 4''1'. He had long silvery hair, with two purple jagged stripes on either side of his face while a crescent moon adorned his forehead. He was dressed simply, wearing a white hakama with red flowers on the sleeves with a yellow and blue obi around his middle holding a sharpened sword in place, no doubt a practice sword. A fluffy white boa rested on his left shoulder that trailed down to his black boots. She had heard of him. Everyone knew the Lord of the Western Lands and his son, Sesshoumaru.

He was still watching her as she stood. She returned his stare, and his eyes narrowed. Finally, the girl turned away from him, toward the tree.

"Thank you for allowing me to sleep under your branches," she said so softly that only the majestic tree could hear. "Allow me to repay you by giving you the gift of water." She could tell that it had not rained here for many a week, and the roots of the giant could not soak up enough moisture.

Extending her hands, she concentrated. Soon, water was flowing from them and wrapping itself around the tree, splashing as it fell to the ground. The dry ground made a slight sucking sound as the water moved through the layers beneath the surface. Within seconds, the dirt was reduced so a slushy mud and there was enough water here for this, and five other trees.

Lowering her hands to her sides, the girl turned slightly, only to find herself held captive once again by those golden orbs that had awoken her before. Sesshoumaru had come to stand next to her as she watered the tree.

"How did you do that?" he asked quietly. The girl looked at him.

"I control water. I'm from the Kankyou clan." She explained. His eyes narrowed doubtfully, but could not find a trace of a lie in her blue eyes.

"What is you name?" he asked slowly, slightly suspicious. Taken aback, the girl stared. The lord-to-be of the Western Lands? Asking _her _name? Her eyes narrowed as well.

"Arisa…" she said simply. "Sesshoumaru-sama." She added respectfully. Suspicious as he was, he was still royalty and therefore, demanded courtesy.

Sesshoumaru smiled. "Ah," With that, he turned and continued walking.

Arisa stared after him. Curiosity battle common sense. Should she keep a respectful distance and not pester him? Or should she risk it all and ask the reasons for his actions? Curiosity won. "Wait!" she called after him as she ran to catch up. Sesshoumaru did not slow his pace, but looked down slightly at the girl who was now keeping pace with him. "What do you mean by 'Ah'?"

Sesshoumaru returned his gaze in front of him as he answered, "Your name explains all there is to know." Confused silence followed his rather short explanation. "I mean to say, I've heard of you." Arisa stopped. Sesshoumaru turned to look at her. Her blue eyes were wide and her jaw had dropped due to shock.

"You've heard… about _me_?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, demons who look and smell like humans," his nose wrinkled slightly as he said the word in disgust; Arisa flinched. "and have the powers of fully matured youkai do not occur very often."

A soft "oh" escaped Arisa, barley audible as realization struck. Of course they would talk about her. A freak. Excellent topic for laughs, she was.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he watched the effect his words had on her. Her face dropped and she looked embarrassed. He could faintly smell salt; unleashed tears that she would not allow to fall in his presence. He had made he cry.

"What is wrong?" he asked coldly. Not because he cared or anything, but because he hated being in the wrong.

"Nothing," she lied quietly, looking down. Of course he would be able to smell her tears. How stupid of her. She was giving everyone more reason to laugh at her. She appeared weak. Her sorrow turned into anger as she turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction. Stunned, Sesshoumaru watched her go. What had he done to get that kind of reaction? He intended to find out.

Running, he caught up to her and planted his feet, baring her way. Arisa stopped, hesitating and walked quickly to her left. Sesshoumaru followed.

Arisa, pretty fed up right about now, jumped in the air over his head and ran away as fast as she could. She had to get away, far away. She could smell Sesshoumaru following after her, and even though she was fast, she could not keep this pace up for long. She landed in the middle of a nearby clearing and angrily turned to face Sesshoumaru as he burst through the trees. Reaching up to her ear, Arisa took a small blue earring from her left lobe and held it tightly at her side.

"What do you want?" she asked coolly, glaring at the persistent boy before her. She ignored the fact that he was more than just a few years older than her, and also the lord-to-be. Sesshoumaru did too.

"What is wrong?" he asked her again fiercely. His temper was rising. He did not like to repeat himself.

"I told you, nothing! Now why can't you all just leave me along?" she yelled. Sesshoumaru blinked.

"All?"

Arisa flushed, and murmured something incoherent. Sesshoumaru waited. Neither of them moved.

Finally, Arisa looked at him and said, "Please go."

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" even though he heard her perfectly well. Arisa's blush deepened.

"I said, 'please go'." she answered, slightly louder. Sesshoumaru looked at her.

"Why?"

For a moment, it looked like she might hit him. And when a sword suddenly appeared in her right hand, Sesshoumarus' suspicions were confirmed. Sesshoumaru eyed the blade. It was around three feet long, and looked very deadly. There was an angry red gleam about the metal. Sesshoumaru was amazed. _He_ wasn't allowed to carry a sword out of practice yet, and here was this insolent child, so much younger than him, holding her own pointed at him. His eyes narrowed. If were to come down to a fight, he wouldn't hold back.

Arisa was fuming. Here she was, an outcast from both worlds, being made fun of. This was why she had left. And he, Sesshoumaru, thought that he could do this to her just because he was a 'prince'! She was so mad, she wanted to kill him. Or hurt him really badly. Or at least give him a bruise. Maybe she would be satisfied by giving him a hard poke.

"It's none of your business! Now would you please just go? Go so you can laugh-" she broke off and stiffened. Hurriedly, she backed away, the sword disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared. Sesshoumaru stared, thoroughly confused. He was positive this girl had been about to run him through, or at least give him a sharp poke. The wind blew, and with it, Sesshoumaru smelled a familiar scent and he understood. His father was coming. So her nose was that sharp, huh?

"Excuse me, I must leave," Arisa muttered as she turned and darted for the safety of the trees. A voice cut across the clearing, abruptly stopping her in her tracks, not two feet from the protection the trees carried.

"Arisa-chan! There you are!"

Slowly, Arisa turned to face the speaker. Her face was pale and she was shaking with fear and respect. For there, standing beside his son, looking directly at her with his arm raised as if greeting a long time friend was…

…the Lord of the Western Lands, Inu no Tashio.

The father of the boy she had just threatened.

Oh no… she was in for it now. She would die at the hands of the most powerful youkai in all of the Sengoku Jidai. Oh well, at least it wouldn't be her mother.

"How have you been, Arisa-chan?" he smiled down at her, showing no signs that he was going to follow through on her thoughts.

It took her awhile to find her voice. "Fine," she squeaked. Inu no Tashio laughed,

"Have you been training well under Toutousai-sama?" He asked kindly. Sesshoumaru looked at his father. Toutousai? The sword smith?

Arisa seemed to loosen up at this question. "Very well, sir. He's an excellent teacher."

Inu no Tashio nodded. "Yes. Have you made anything yet?" Arisa smiled.

"Yes!"

With a flourish, the sword reappeared in her hand. But it was different this time. Sesshoumaru eyes narrowed. It no longer held a red sheen, but held a fait tinge of blue-green, like that of the ocean. The hilt was a deep blue that matched the colour of her hair, and the metal shimmered where it caught the light as she held it out to Inu no Tashio. He stepped closer to inspect it. Sesshoumaru watched curiously as his father took the offered sword by the hilt. His eyes flickered between his father, to the deranged girl, and then to the same sword that had been pointed at him. At least, he thought it was the same sword.

"Hmmm…" Inu no Tashio turned the blade this way and that, looking at it from every angle. "It's hiding a secret, I'm sure. Very well done, it's a very fine sword indeed. Toutousai must be proud."

Arisa blushed and looked down, mumbling her thanks. Never before had she been so handsomely praised. When she had brought it out at home, her mother had shrieked at her to put it away, least she hurt Tauski. She had forbidden her to bring it out anywhere near him. Secretly though, she and Tauski would frequently sneak out and she would teach him how to use a sword. He was, after all, her little brother.

Inu no Tashio's voice broke through her thoughts. "But tell me… where do you keep it?"

Sesshoumaru stared at his father. He who had two… no three swords of his own _must _know where a sword was kept. 'In the scabbard, obviously,' he thought. But as Sesshoumaru looked, it did not appear as though the girl had one at her hip, nor strapped across her back. He frowned. Odd. However, Arisa's eyes lit up.

"Here." she said gleefully, holding out a hand for her sword. "Toutousai-sama recommended it because otherwise my mother would have taken it away."

As soon as Inu no Tashios' hand left the hilt, the sword disappeared. Sesshoumaru inched closer to inspect. There, in the palm of her hand, was a small wooden earring, the same colour the blade had been. Inu no Tashio nodded his approval.

"Very smart indeed." Just then, he caught sight of Sesshoumaru still inching closer, glancing curiously at the girls' hand. He smiled. "By the way, have you met my son, Sesshoumaru?" He asked as he turned to the little girl once again. She had had her hand near her ear, but she suddenly dropped that as her face took a red hue again, her earring sword in its place on her left lobe.

"Y-yes," she stammered, avoiding both Sesshoumaru's and his father's eyes. Inu no Tashio smirked.

"I see," he said thoughtfully. "You two must know each other very well. Just a little while ago, I saw you show him your sword." Arisa gave a small cough. Sesshoumaru smiled as his father talked. That would show her.

"About that… umm, Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm really-" but as to what she was, Sesshoumaru didn't know because at that moment, another youkai entered the clearing.

He was out of breath and his light brown hair was wind-blown. His clothes- a black cloak over a white shirt with dark red pants- were ruffled. He wore white bandages on both his hands and on his right thigh. Two six-inch blades were at his side, held in place by a red sash. Catching sight of Arisa, he bustled over, his face turning red as he saw who she was with. "Begging your pardon, Inu no Tashio-dono, but I've come to get Arisa here."

Inu no Tashio nodded and looked down at Arisa. "So, you ran away again?"

'_Again?_' thought Sesshoumaru.

"Yes," was the quiet reply. Hidden within that simple statement, Sesshoumaru noticed, was a great deal of anger and pain. The man noticed too. He grabbed her hand and began to gently tow her back the way he came. Arisa dug her heels into the earth, but to no avail.

"Thank you so much for finding her, Inu no Tashio-dono. I don't know what her mother would say if she didn't return home."

"Not like she would care," Arisa muttered darkly. The man looked at her.

"It was no problem, Akira. It was Sesshoumaru here really." The lord said as he placed a clawed hand on his sons' shoulders.

Akira looked at him. "In that case, thank you as well, Sesshoumaru-sama. Say goodbye Arisa."

Arisa glowered. She did not want to return to that… _home._ She thought the word with acid, but did as she was told. "Thank you Inu no Tashio-dono, Sesshoumaru-sama. And also, I'm sorry." She said, looking straight at Sesshoumaru, who nodded curtly. In a heartbeat, they were gone.

"Father…" Sesshoumaru started. "What was that all about?" Inu no Tashio looked down at his son.

"Hm? You mean Arisa? You know who she is. She's a member of the Kankyou clan, those who are one with the elements." Sesshoumaru nodded.

"But why did you ask if she had run away again?"

Inu no Tashio allowed a small smile to break out. "That, you'll have to find out on your own, should she tell you. It is not in my place to say."

Sesshoumaru had expected no less from his father. However, he could not stop his next question from being spoken. "But why does she have a sword already? And training under Toutousai-sama?"

Inu no Tashio chuckled slightly. "You know how advanced she is. Her powers and skills match those of the eldest of her clan. They may not even be near completion. Therefore, she needs rigorous training. Oh, how I don't envy her teachers. Such a trouble maker."

Sesshoumaru could agree with that.

**Ψ **¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥¤¥** Ψ**

"Ah-h, Arisa-chan, what must we do with you?" Akira sighed, exasperated. Arisa looked up at him from where she was, tucked securely under his arm and said, somewhat hopefully:

"You could always let me go."

Akira smiled a half smile, than frowned. "You must stop though. If you keep running away like this, you'll find yourself in big trouble one day. You're driving the whole village, not to mention your mother, insane."

Arisa scoffed. "Oh really?" she asked, skeptically. Akira remained silent. She sighed.

"Well, what about Tauski?" he suggested. "He looks up to you, no?"

Arisa snorted in laughter. "Only when he's not getting me into trouble. Which is pretty much always anyways."

"Well, how about Chiaki? Or Shou? They would miss you." He was somewhat desperate now.

Arisa was silent. Sure, Chiaki and Shou were nice, about some of the nicest kids to her there, but they still kept their distance, and she didn't see them very often. They feared her mother, like everyone else in the village.

"Mother won't allow me to have any friends." Arisa admitted quietly. Akira didn't say anything. Even her teachers feared where she got her abnormal powers from when she was still so young. Mostly, they were too nervous to give her a proper teaching.

"Tell me about Sesshoumaru. You two seemed like you got along OK."

"I threatened him."

Akira was surprised. Landing heavily on the nearest branch, he gently set the girl down and looked her squarely in the eyes. Arisa fidgeted. "Tell me all about it."

She looked at him. He was smiling, and genuinely interested. She smiled too, and recounted her encounter with Sesshoumaru and his father, leaving some things out such as some of her discussion with Inu no Tashio. By the end of it, Akira was wearing a goofy smile and was shaking his head.

"You ought to keep that temper in check. And be more careful about who you challenge." This girl had guts. Either that, or she was downright crazy. Arisa flashed a devilish smile.

"He's the one with manner issues."

Akira sighed, picked her up and set off again. He was still smiling as he alighted down in the middle of their village.

She was crazy for sure.

* * *

Yes., again, I'm sorry that it was so long. Uhh... yeah, so that's it! It's something that has been with me for a while, and I thought I'd give it a try. I really like this story, so I thought it would be fun to see what others thought too. Oh, before I close, I thought I should clarify something first. Arisa's mother does not beat her; she just yells at her. So please, tell me what you think through use of a review. But please, no flames! They sting.


End file.
